Lead Global Supply Manager- Strategic Projects

Rivian•Irvine, CA

5d•Onsite

About The Position

The Rivian Supply Chain team is looking for highly motivated and strategic purchasing leaders to bring Rivian’s engineered products to life. As a Lead Global Supply Manager, you are an advanced individual contributor and subject matter expert responsible for the strategic sourcing, supplier selection, and multi-generational lifecycle management for our vehicle programs, including R1, R2, R3, and Electric Delivery Vehicles. In this role, you lead the commercial relationship for our most complex domains, partnering closely with cross-functional leadership to architect the future of our innovative technical requirements. You act autonomously to manage several large projects with significant spend, navigating changing economic and political landscapes to prevent production risks. You are responsible for ensuring Rivian meets aggressive cost targets and timelines while solving systemic challenges that affect long-term project health. We are looking for an expert thinker who is passionate about optimizing the sourcing process and driving organizational stability through advanced negotiation and risk prevention.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain, or Engineering and a minimum of 6 years of direct procurement experience.
Significant experience managing end-to-end procurement lifecycles and a proven ability to drive commodity and category strategies for next-gen platforms; automotive industry experience highly preferred.
Experience developing and leading category/commodity strategies across multiple domains, not tied to a single commodity portfolio.
Experience building or improving strategic supplier management tools, performance management frameworks, and sourcing processes.
Track record of leading corporate-wide initiatives with cross-functional stakeholders, from concept through implementation.
Expert user of SAP and analytical tools; ability to identify should-cost opportunities prior to engaging cost estimation groups.
Exceptional interpersonal skills; ability to facilitate productive conversations and gain buy-in with a clear vision.
Proven ability to resolve complex problems involving multiple variables and stakeholders; implements comprehensive risk mitigation.
Acts instinctively to manage and prioritize complex workloads with little manager input; serves as a cross-functional advisor.
Ability and willingness to travel as needed based on business needs, expected to average between 20-30%.

Nice To Haves

automotive industry experience highly preferred

Responsibilities

Concurrently lead several large, cross-commodity strategic projects with medium-to-high vehicle spend impact.
Drive the competitive bid process and category strategy development with little to no leadership direction and lead Director-level communications and reviews.
Act as an expert user of supply chain systems to support business needs.
Lead and influence the design, rollout, and continuous improvement of strategic supplier management tools, performance management frameworks, and procurement processes, including onboarding and training of new team members.
Apply broad experience across commodity and category strategy to shape approaches that support next-generation vehicle programs.
Identify risks proactively across categories to maintain a neutral, well-informed position for the organization.
Negotiate most commercial terms with very limited legal involvement.
Actively apply creative thinking in negotiations by utilizing non-monetary tradeoffs to achieve Rivian targets.
Maintain strong relationships at the supplier Senior Management level.
Drive accountability and resolve conflicts with minimal escalation while maintaining a robust understanding of sub-suppliers through raw materials.
Leverage industry knowledge to build strong internal and external relationships.
Proactively communicate valuable information to stakeholders to mitigate risk and enable timely decision-making.
Lead large-scale projects with autonomy.
Proactively identify and mitigate risks through detailed risk mapping and see resolutions through to completion.